Archery arrows have been in use for centuries. Over this time period, significant improvements have been made in the design of the arrows. For instance, the materials used for arrows have evolved from ancient arrows made of wood to modern arrows fabricated using lightweight high strength carbon fiber composites. Also, the fletching, or finning, has evolved from a standard X-shape feather to an aerodynamic three-tab design which minimizes contact with the bow and improves accuracy. Improvements have also been made to the arrow head to improve the aerodynamics and to the nock to decrease weight.
With the advancements in technology, the performance of an arrow can be tuned to fit an archer's preferences. Altering the physical properties of an arrow alters the flight characteristics. Traditionally, archers chose an arrow shaft with a defined static spine, which is the stiffness of the arrow and its resistance to bending. Based on their chosen arrow shaft and corresponding static spine, they then add tips, fletching, and knocks to tune the dynamic spine, which is the deflection of the arrow when fired from a bow. Thus, the physical properties of the arrow shaft, including the overall weight and the center of gravity of the arrow, affects the arrow performance.
A recent trend in the arrow industry is to provide an arrow having a wider diameter shaft. Typical arrows have had a standard external shaft diameter of 0.295 inches which has provided for a reasonably rigid arrow made from today's materials. However, a thicker arrow having an external shaft diameter of 0.380 has been developed for certain archery applications.
However, with the wider diameter of these thicker arrows comes an increase in weight and aerodynamic drag caused by the larger cross-section. In order to minimize the effects of the larger diameter on the arrow performance, the industry has taken steps to minimize weight of the arrow. For instance, some manufacturers have provided adaptors which allow the archer to use standard diameter nocks. However, in order to use the smaller diameter nocks, a transitional sleeve, or taper, must be inserted between the shaft and the nock. Unfortunately, this added insert provides excess weight at the fletching end of the arrow. This is particularly so when using carbon-fiber arrows where the weight of the arrow is small compared to the weight of the tip and nock.
In light of the above, it would be advantageous to provide an arrow having increased strength and decreased drag which is also lightweight. It would also be advantageous to provide an arrow capable of using standard nocks without having to add weight-increasing adapters and inserts. It would further be advantageous to provide an arrow having multiple interior diameters, multiple exterior diameters, and multiple wall thicknesses to alter the weight distribution of an arrow shaft and control the center of gravity. It would further be advantageous to provide an arrow having multiple interior diameters, multiple exterior diameters, and multiple wall thicknesses to vary the static spine of the arrow shaft. It would further be advantageous to provide an arrow having a larger knock end to better absorb the forces of a bow string when fired. It would further be advantageous to provide an arrow having a smaller forward section for better aerodynamics and deeper penetration.